Railway gate or signal



(N o Model.)

J. A. MGGILL.

RAILWAY GATE 0R SIGNAL.

No. 417,364. Patented Deo. 17, 1889.

N. Putas. Phqwumngnpmf. wmhingum o4 c.

VUNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A. MCGILL, OF SOUTH BEND, INDIANA.

RAILWAY GATE OR SIGNAL.`

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 417,364, dated December 17, 1889.

Application led March 26, 1889. Serial No. 304,787. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern;

Be it known that I, JOHN A. MoGILL,a citizen of the United States, residing at South Bend, in the county of St. Joseph and State of Indiana, have invented new and useful Improvements in Railway Gates or Signals, of which the following is a specification.

The invention relates to improvements in railway gates or signals; and it consists in a certain novel con'structionand combination of devices fully described hereinafter in connection with the accompanying drawings and specifically pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure l is a perspective view ot a gate and its operating devices 'arranged in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view parallel with the crossroad to show the operating-shaft.. Fig. 3 is a sectional view at right angles to the plane on which Fig. 2 is taken to show the rack-bar and pinion. Fig. et is a detail view of one of the drums.

Referring by letter to the drawings, A designates the railway-track, between the rails of'which and at suitable distances on each side of the cross-road (which is represented at B) are arranged the drums O C, mounted on vertical pivots and provided with radial arms D D', which are arranged at right angles to each other. The arms D D are arranged transversely to the track whenin the normal positions, as shown in Fig. l in full lines, and the arms D D are arranged longitudinally.

E E represent vertical posts, which are arranged on opposite sides of the track adjacent to the cross-road, and to the said posts are pivoted the swinging weighted gate-arms F F, which are normally held by the weights in a vertical position. These arms are providedwith the dangensignals or pendan ts G G, of any suitable or preferred form.

II represents a rod or cable, which is connected at its ends to the drums, whereby when one of the said drums is turned the rod or cable is wound thereon and unwound from,

the other, thereby also rotating the latter, and the rod or cable is provided at its center, adjacent to the'crossroad, with a rackbar I, which meshes with the pinion K. This pinion is affixed to a transverse shaft L, which extends across the track, and is provided at its ends adjacent to the posts E E with the crank-disks F F, which are connected by the links M M to the gate-arms.

The operation of the improved gate is as follows: The engine is designed to be provided with an inclined horizontal plate or arm N, as shown in Fig. 1,- which swings the transverse arm D toward the gate, thereby rotating the drum to which it is attached in the directionindicated by the arrows, at the saine time turning the other drum in the opposite direction. This rotation of the drum operates the connecting rod or cable, thereby rotating the pinion K and the shaft to which it is attached, and draws the gate-arms down to the horizontal position across the road. As the train passes over the other drum, the plate or arm N engages the normally-longitudinal arm D thereof and swings it in the direction indicated by the arrow, thereby opening the gate.

It will be seen that the operation of the gate is the same with the train moving in one direction as in the other-that is to say, the plate or arm N will be on the opposite side of the track when the engine is moving in the opposite direction and will readily operate the signal if the parts are in their normal positions.

The rod or cable between the drulns and the rack-bar is incased in a tube O of gaspipe or its equivalent.

Having thus described the invention, I claiml. In a railway gate or signal, the combination, with the swinging signal or gate arms, of the transverse shaft L, connected to the gate, the drums O, arranged Within the trackrails on opposite sides of the transverse shaft, each drum being provided with a pair of arms to be engaged by a passing train, the pair of one drum extending in an opposite direction to the pair of the other drum, cables wound in opposite directions on the two drums and connected together so that both drums will move simultaneously, and gearing between the cables and the transverse shaft, for the purpose set forth.

2. In a railway gate or signal, the combination of the swinging gate-arms and transverse shaft provided at its ends with crank-disks connected to the said arms and provided at an intermediate point with a pinion, the rod or IOO Cable provided atits Center with a raek meshing with the said pinion, and the drums eonneeted to the free ends of the rod or eable and provided with arms to be engaged by a passing train, substantiallv as speeilied.

3. In a railway gate or signahthe combination, with the swinging weighted arms, ot the transverse shaft provided at its ends with crank-disks Connected by suitable links toV the said arms, the rod or Cable provided at an intermediate point with a rack-bar meshing with a pinion on the said shaft7 and the drums adapted to be rotated by a passing train, substantially as specified.

ai. In a ailway gate or signal, the combination, with the swinging arms, of a shaft eonneeted at its ends to the said arms, the rod or Cable Connected by suitable `:fearing` to the said shaft, and the drums connected to the ends ot' the rod or Cable and provided with the arms D and Dfall constructed and ar ranged substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In a railway-signahthe combination, with the swinging arms, the shaft eonneeted tothe said arms7 and the drums arranged in the path of a passing train and provided with radial arms, of the rod or Cable wound at its ends on the said drums and provided with a rack-bar engaging a pinion on the shaft, and the tubular easing surrounding the rod or cable, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimon)v that l. elailn the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed mysignature in presenee of two witnesses.

JOHN A. MCGILIL.

IYitnesses:

.IeHN A. MGMICHAEL, EnwAnn A. Ilowixm). 

